Huayu: From an ordinary person to a happy director

Chapter 107 Investing in Iron Man

Kevin Feige was stunned and looked at Shi Lei in surprise, "Do you think the Marvel Cinematic Universe can be successful?"

Shi Lei smiled slightly and did not answer.

This does not need an answer. Spider-Man and X-Men have both been successful, so the Marvel Universe is bound to be successful. It’s just that the way to success may be with the Avengers as the core, or it may be with Spider-Man as the core, or it may be with the X-Men as the core.

It’s just that the success centered on the Avengers is controlled by Marvel Studios, and they have the highest say!
Kevin Feige looked at Shi Lei, who was smiling silently, and felt a little moved. The entire industry was not optimistic about Marvel Studios, and it did not get much support from Hollywood. Marvel Studios could only take out its last assets, and even take out loans, to make a last desperate effort.

Finally, there is someone who is optimistic about his plan. The support of Shi Lei, an international director, is very important to both him and Marvel Studios.

Shi Lei's approach is like providing timely help!
He tried to attract investments in Hollywood, but the effect was not great. Hollywood companies were not optimistic and just watched Marvel Studios' desperate fight from the sidelines.

Waiting for Marvel to fail, then swarm in and divide up Marvel's heroes.

The impact of the failure of "The Hulk" is too great!
"Thank you Director Shi for your support for Marvel. Your support is very important to Marvel Studios." Kevin Feige's voice was hoarse. Shi Lei was a huge supporter of him.

His eyes were slightly red as he said, "To thank Director Shi for his support, we can give Peach Films 50% of the investment for Captain America and The Incredible Hulk. In the future, Peach Films will have at least 10% of the investment for all Marvel Studios' films."

Marvel is in urgent need of support from Hollywood companies now. If it refuses Peach, not only will it not get investment, but it will also be attacked by Peach when it is down. He will have to give the investment amount.

Ultimately, future investment amounts are future, and if Marvel fails this time, they may not get a second chance.

By accepting the investment from Peach, Marvel will not only have double protection, but triple protection.

? !
Shi Lei was shocked. Is this human language?

He didn't even know whether Kevin Feige was truly moved or just pretending to be moved.

Marvel Studios has now put all its funds into a desperate attempt. Marvel Studios got a huge advantage by taking 50% of the investment in Captain America and The Incredible Hulk, while the profit is only 10% of the investment in subsequent films.

Are you taking him for a fool?

"10% is too little, at least 40%."

"20%." Kevin Feige's expression changed quickly and he made a concession.

Shi Lei curled his lips and said, "39%, Kevin, you have to know that Marvel Studios needs the support of Peach Films now."

Kevin Feige was silent for a while, then said: "30%, this is the most suitable price, any more will not work, I will need to give concessions to other companies in the future."

What he said was the truth. If the Marvel Universe is successfully launched, there will be many film and television companies that want to get a piece of the pie. Other companies can refuse, but the distribution companies cannot. Marvel Studios and Peach Film and Television do not have the distribution capabilities, so they need to give concessions to the distribution companies.

Moreover, the copyrights of many Marvel heroes are lost. After the Marvel Universe emerged, it became even more difficult to recover these heroes, and they can only be recovered through cooperation.

Forget about other heroes, Spider-Man must come back, and the only way to come back is to give part of the investment to Paramount, so we can't give too much to Peaches now.

"Other companies? You are thinking really far ahead! Aren't you afraid that I won't invest? No company is willing to invest in Marvel Studios right now." Shi Lei joked.

The film and television rights to the popular Spider-Man and X-Men have been sold, and the popularity of the remaining heroes has dropped to a lower level. The Hulk also failed, so other companies are not optimistic.

"Director Shi, aren't you thinking far ahead as well?" Kevin Feige laughed.

He has been the producer of a series of movies from Spider-Man to X-Men. No one understands Marvel better than him. Even if others were not optimistic, he went against the crowd and launched the Marvel Universe plan.

He was worried before, but now Shi Lei believes that Marvel can succeed and is willing to invest.
Shi Lei looked at Kevin Feige quietly, and after confirming that he would not give in, he said regretfully: "30% is 30%! But I have made it clear in advance that if Marvel sells the film and television rights to other companies to circumvent the contract, I will let my lawyers sue them, and you can forget about releasing the film in mainland China."

That being said, with the popularity of the Marvel Universe, whether he can keep his 30% is another matter. Peach Film and Television does not have enough weight.

But he is not worried, because it will take two years for Marvel to become popular, and Shuimitao Film and Television may not be pure anymore.

It would be great if Hollywood was in Europe, at least there wouldn't be sanctions there at every turn.

In North America, if he wants Peach to continue to flourish, he has to give shares to Hollywood companies.

If he holds full control of the company, there is no telling when sanctions will come.

"That definitely won't happen." Kevin Feige assured, patting his chest.

In fact, his guarantee is of little use. North America is a place that respects contracts, but as long as there is enough benefit, it is common to tear up contracts.

Shi Lei had a lot of complaints in his mind, but he didn't say them out loud. Instead, he changed the subject and said, "Let's talk about investment. According to the contract, we will invest 30% in The Incredible Hulk and 50% in Captain America. Iron Man is produced independently by Shuimi Films. Of course, Marvel can also invest in Iron Man if they are interested."

Kevin Feige touched his nose and said awkwardly: "Marvel has no funds to invest in "Iron Man" now."

The reality is that there isn’t even enough investment for “The Incredible Hulk” and “Captain America.”

Of course, now with the addition of Shuimitao Film and Television, the investment is sufficient.

"Won't Shuimitao invest 50% in "The Incredible Hulk"? " Of course he knew why Shi Lei didn't invest 50%, but he still wanted to try.

Shi Lei shook his head and explained, "What is the precedent of The Hulk? My 30% investment is support."

He also couldn't understand what was going on with Kevin Feige, focusing on "The Incredible Hulk" and letting "Captain America" ​​lay the foundation.

It is very risky to make another work after the previous failure.

This is how the saying of destroying IP came about.

"Director Shi hasn't even read the script, so you have no confidence in "The Incredible Hulk"?" Kevin Feige asked.

"The Hulk failed, and for that reason, no one in Hollywood is willing to take a chance on The Incredible Hulk. Not every hero is Superman and worth the risk."

Kevin Feige sighed and said, "I can't help it. According to the popularity ranking of heroes, the Hulk is more popular than other heroes."

"I'll send you the script someday, can you help me refer to it?" Shi Lei didn't know whether what Kevin Feige said was true or if there was some hidden story behind it. Since he said so, he would take it as the real reason.

"You can give me the script, and I will also make some suggestions. It's up to you whether you adopt them or not."

He read the script to ensure that the plot is similar to the original film. Before "Avengers 4", although Marvel films had various flaws, their box office performance was still good, and he did not plan to make any changes.

If there are major plot changes, he will strongly recommend revising the script.

"We will definitely seriously consider Shi Lei's suggestion." Kevin Feige nodded seriously.

There are no secrets in Hollywood. Shi Lei is the screenwriter of several series of Peach Film and Television. Although most of them are horror films, Shi Lei has also dabbled in art films and inspirational films, which shows that Shi Lei's screenwriting skills are acceptable.

The two continued chatting for a while, and then Kevin Feige said goodbye and left.

Seven days later, Marvel officially signed a contract with Shuimitao Films. The speed was so fast that even Shi Lei was surprised.

It seems that Marvel shareholders have been in a state of indecision. They lack confidence in Kevin Feige's Marvel Universe, but are unwilling to sell their shares at a low price. They hope that Marvel Universe will raise Marvel's valuation and make more money.

In the eyes of shareholders, the best way is for all investments to be borne by other companies. Marvel only needs to get the profits brought by the success of the film to increase its market value, and then it can accept acquisitions from other Hollywood companies with peace of mind and leave with several times the money.

Now that they have Peaches to help them bear the risks, they are of course happy for Peaches to enter the market.

Some shareholders have previously proposed selling Marvel heroes in packages, and then everyone divides the money and leaves. Now it is just selling the future interests of Marvel movies. There is a high probability that these future interests will not exist yet, so shareholders have even less psychological burden.

After the two companies signed the contract, they quickly entered the script review stage.

It takes a very long time for a big Hollywood company to review a script with an investment of over 100 million yuan, and Shi Lei had no intention of staying there and prepared to return to China.

The script can be reviewed remotely.

But before he returned to China, Mike from Warner came to him.

Mike exchanged pleasantries with him for a while, then asked politely, "Shi, are you interested in Marvel heroes?"

"Of course, otherwise why would I buy the copyright of Iron Man?" Shi Lei admitted generously, and then asked in return: "It's normal to be interested in Marvel heroes! I don't believe that you Warner are not interested."

"The company has reserved a few heroes and is just waiting to divide up the heroes if Marvel fails. Shi, can you tell us which heroes you have your eyes on?" Mike didn't keep the secret any longer.

"Doesn't Marvel mean to sell them in packages?" Shi Lei asked puzzledly.

"We will not allow Marvel to be sold as a package, just like the Marvel heroes were sold separately in 96. After Marvel fails this time, they will also be sold separately." Mike explained.

"Oh, why is that?" Shi Lei asked curiously.

"We at Warner own DC, and there is no way Marvel will become a threat to us."

Shi Lei was even more puzzled: "Then you should stop Marvel from filming the movie!"

"Of course we stopped him. Kevin Feige has good relations with other companies. Marvel's success is good for Columbia, which owns Spider-Man, and 20th Century Fox, which owns X-Men. After much negotiation, we reached an agreement behind the scenes to give Kevin Feige a chance and three years. Within three years, Warner Bros. cannot interfere with any film projects related to Marvel heroes, including your Iron Man."

Shi Lei's mind turned and he continued to ask questions about Marvel: "I received news that Disney wants to acquire Marvel in full."

Mike looked at Shi Lei in surprise, but did not ask where Shi Lei got the news from. He just thought that Shi Lei had his own way.

"I don't know about that, but even if Disney wants to acquire Marvel, it's nothing. It's just a few companies competing behind the scenes. In the end, whether Disney will succeed in the acquisition or Marvel heroes will be split up, no one knows."

"I wish you success!" Shi Lei gave his superficial blessings.

New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. are both subsidiaries of Time Warner. After New Line purchased the copyright of "Iron Man", it wanted to make it into a movie, but was blocked because Warner Bros. owned DC Comics and would not support New Line.

In the previous life, Warner failed to stop Marvel and ended up lagging behind Marvel by several years.

"Haha, thank you." Mike smiled confidently, patted Shi Lei on the shoulder and said, "Shi, which hero do you like? We at Warner can help you."

"I'm interested in Doctor Strange, which originated from the Himalayas and can promote Chinese stars."

"Doctor Strange! The special effects for this hero are very troublesome, and few companies are competing for it. Warner will help you get it, but Warner has a condition."

"Oh?" Shi Lei's heart was hanging. He was silent for a moment and asked, "What's the matter?"

"Warner wants to acquire a stake in Peach Films. In the future, all Peach Films' films will be distributed by Warner. I don't need to explain the benefits of Warner acquiring a stake. First, the film ratings will be relaxed. It's possible that Peach Films' horror films can be upgraded from R-rated to PG-13."

Shi Lei frowned and opened his mouth to find a reason to decline, but Mike spoke up, "Shi, don't rush to refuse. Think about it carefully. We don't want you to make a decision right now. It's okay for you to think about it for a few months."

Shi Lei was silent for a while, then said, "In fact, the Hollywood companies that want to invest in Shuimitao include not only Warner but also Columbia. There are also several companies in mainland China that want to invest in Shuimitao Films."

Mike smiled. Shi Lei's words meant that he was ready to accept the investment and was just waiting for the price.

"Shi, don't worry, the price Warner offers is definitely the highest."

Shuimitao Films has produced several sequels to horror films. It is hard to say about other series, but the "Saw" series is a success.

Peach Films makes a profit of 3.6 million US dollars a year, which is enough to attract the attention of Warner. This is profit, not revenue. A film and television company that can make a profit of more than million US dollars is considered a large company and can already independently produce A-level Hollywood blockbusters (with a cost of over million).

The company held several meetings, and finally the semi-finished product of "300" convinced many people in the company. The senior management praised "300" very much. The dark style, slow-motion hacking, and blood splattering made such fighting very attractive. They had an idea that this is how men's war should be.

The final meeting decided to directly purchase shares of Shuimitao Film and Television without waiting for the results of Shuimitao Film and Television's other series.

No matter what, it is worthwhile to invest in Shuimitao. Shi Lei won the Oscar for Best Picture through "Million Dollar Baby", which grossed $2.2 billion at the box office. Shi Lei is a director who combines art and commerce.

In addition to Shi Lei, Shuimitao Films also has another person named Wan Zairen, whose three consecutive horror films have grossed over 3 million yuan worldwide, demonstrating his strength in horror films.

Shuimitao Films, which owns Shi Lei and Wen Zairen, is more attractive than Marvel. What else does Marvel have now besides a bunch of second- and third-tier heroes?
(End of this chapter)